Device for inserting and projecting cleaning projectiles in air lines for converters



Dec. 30, 1952 LE ROY c. JONES EI'AL 2,523,226

DEVICE FOR INSERTING AND PROJECTING CLEANING PROJECTILES IN AIR LINES FOR CONVERTERS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1948 LeRoy 0. Jones Carl E Jones INVENTORS 9 BY @ewaob'.

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IllJlla N Ill! VII!!! 1952 LE ROY c. JONES EIAL 2,623,226

DEVICE FOR INSERTING AND PROJECTING CLEANING PROJECTILES IN AIR LINES FOR CONVERTERS Filed Aug. 25, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 l /a 6 Hg. 5.

E 2 9 4 II /4 2% LeRoy 6. Jones Carl E. Jones.

INVENTORS BY Q Wai'qE/aafgg Patented Dec. 30, 1952 3y 5' DEVICE FOR INSERTING AND PROJEOTING CLEANING PROJECTILES IN FOR CONVERTERS AIR LINES Le Roy 0. Jones and Carl E. Jones, Douglas, Ariz.

Application August 25, 1948, Serial No. 45,994

1 Claim. 15-104.!)6)

The present invention relates tomeans for freeing and preventing the accumulation of fingers in low pressure air lines leading to converters whereby to prevent clogging of the lines.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for discharging a projectile in the low pressure air line to keep the line open.

A further object of the invention is to provide air pressure discharge means for the projectile.

Another object is to provide a magazine for holding a number of the cartridge and means for feeding the cartridges singly into position for their discharge through the low pressure air line.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an attachment of this character for the low pressure air line and which may be easily and quickly connected to the air line without necessitating any material changes or alterations in the construction thereof.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efiicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the projectile magazine and the housing for the projectile feeding rotor shown attached to the low pressure air line;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken respectively on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2 and showing the projectile feeding rotor in its loading position;

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the projectile feeding rotor in its firing position; and

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration we have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a low pressure air feed pipe connected to a supply line B by means of a T-fitting I. The fitting l is provided with a flap check valve 8 and is connected with the supply line 6 and normally held in open position against a stop 9 by air pressure passing through the line 5 and feed pipe 5.

A rotor housing It is secured to the fitting 1 at I its end opposite from the feed pipe 5, the housing being formed with a cylindrical chamber II at right angles to the fitting with a passage 12 at one side of the chamber aligned with the passage in the fitting and with the feed pipe 5. At the side of the housing I 6 diametrically opposite from the passage I2 is a pipe connection I3 closed at its outer end by a plate l4 and having a high pressure supply pipe i5 attached to one side of the connection l3.

An internally threaded nipple H5 extends upwardly from the housing I0 and to which a tube I! is connected forming a magazine for a plurality of projectiles IS. The front end of the projectile is tapered as shown at 69.

A rotor 26 of substantially cylindrial construction is rotatably mounted in chamber ll of the housing H] with trunnions 2| at each end journaled in the ends of the housing. A transverse chamber 22 is formed in rotor 20 with an internal shoulder 23 adjacent one end and on which the rear end of projectile I8 is seated, and with the projectile contained entirely within the chamber 22 of the rotor for movement of the cartridge from a vertical to a horizontal position upon partial rotation of the rotor 20.

One side of rotor 20 is flat as shown at 24 to engage a shoulder 25 in the chamber II to align the chamber 22 at its rear end with connection l3 and to align the front end of the chamber with the passage 12 of the housing in the firing position of the device, as shown in Figure 6, and to align the chamber 22 with the magazine IT in a loading position, as shown in Figure 5.

Annular packing rings 26 are recessed in the rotor 20 adjacent each end and longitudinal packing rips 21 are recessed in the chamber ll above and below the passage in connector l3 to seal the chamber II from the high pressure air in supply pipe i5.

An arm 28 is attached to one of the trunnions 2| by means of a link 30, the arm being manually or power-operated in a reciprocating movement to rotate rotor 20 forwardly and backwardly in chamber II.

In the operation of the device with the housing ID connected to the low pressure feed line 5 in the manner as illustrated in the drawings, projectiles I8 are loaded in the magazine I! so that the lowermost projectile enters the rotor 20 and is held on the shoulder 23 therein. When it is desired to remove fingers formed at the discharge end of the low pressure supply pipe 5, the arm 28 is actuated to partially rotate rotor 20 to align supply of low pressure to prevent back pressure in the low pressure supply pipeB.

After discharge of the projectile lathe arm-28f is actuated in a reverse direction to return the rotor 20 to its loading position whereupon another cartridge enters chamber 22for subsequent firing. The return of the rotor to, its loading -posi tion as shown in Figure of the drawings cuts off the high pressure air from supply pipe l5 and the low pressure air, then again opens valve 8 to restore the supply of low pressure air to the feed pipe 5.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is'accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a pipe cleaning device, a cylindrical housing having an axial substantially cylindrical passage therein and a transverse bore in one side thereof communicating with said passage and.

adapted to communicate with the pipe to be cleaned, an air pressure line at the opposite side of said housing axially aligned with said bore and communicating with said passage, a substantially cylindrical rotor of substantially the samesize as said passage coaxially mounted in said passage and having a transverse cylindrical chamber therein extending therethrough for loading with a projectile and rotation by said rotor from a loading position into a discharge position in alignment with said bore and air pressure line for projection of a fiat bottomed projectile therein out of said bore into the pipe to be cleaned by air pressure in said pressure line, a gravity feed magazine pipe .on said housing communicating with said passage and with which said chamber is aligned in the loading position thereof to receive therein projectiles stacked in the magazine and fed out of the same, an annular bottom shoulder. in saidjchamber seating the bottom of the projectile-received in the chamber to limit loading of the chamber to one projectile in the load- .ing position-ofthechamber, and stop means establishing the loading and discharge positions of the-chamber comprising a longitudinal shoulder in the. passage at a point slightly circumferentially spaced from said bore and projecting radially inwardly of the passageinto the path of rotation of the rotor across the full length of the housing, and a flat sideon said rotor coextensive with saidshoulder and engaging oppositesides of the shoulder in the loading and discharge posi-' tions ofsaid rotor.

LE ROY C. JONES; CARL E. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references areof record in the file of this .patent:.

UNITED STATES PA'IENTS Number, Name Date 473,633 Markham Apr, 26, 1892 597,185 Huebner Jan. 11, 1898 616,696 Cochran Dec. 27, 1898 1,292,162 Van-Amburgh Jan. 21, 1919 1,663,427 Uhl Mar. 20, 1928 1,769,146 Laist July 1, 1930, 1,814,766 Oberhuber. July 14, 1931 2,095,823 Marshall Oct. 12, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 508,587 Great Britain July 4, 1939 563,757 Great Britain Aug. 29,1944 

